Building roof structure and method

ABSTRACT

A building roof structure including adhered together panels defining a finished interior ceiling for space within the building and trusses structurally supporting a roof covering for the building is assembled by arranging the panels in horizontal array, superposing an arrangement of trusses above the panels, adhering the panels and trusses together into a unitary roof and ceiling structure and then superposing the unitary roof and ceiling structure on side walls for the building.

, United States Patent 1191 Godley 154 BUILDING ROOF STRUCTURE ANDMETHOD [75] Inventor: Fred Darroll Godley, Charlotte,

. N.C. ,v

73 Assignee: Modular Wall Systems; 1116., Charlotte, NC.

22] Filed: Oct. 6, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 186,836

521 user ..52/745, 52/90, 52/220, M 52/309 [51] Int; Cl. ..E04b 1/00,E04g 21/00, E04b 7/02 [58] FieIdofSeai-ch ..,....52/90-92, 309,

' 6 .[56 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS I 2,222,037 11/194o ma..52/745 2,604,060 7 1952 Hansen ..52 745 3,268,999 8 1966 Wiggins ..52745 2/l967 Lang ..52/309 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 768,344;10/1967 Canada 52 90 6,915,-l55 4 1971 Netherlands ..52 309 723,621 21955 Great Britain ..52 309 Primary Examiner-Henry C. SutherlandAtt0rney-Daniel E. McConnell et al.

[57] ABSTRACT A building roof structure including adhered togetherpanels defining a finished interior ceiling vfor space within thebuilding and trusses structurally supporting a roof covering for thebuilding is assembled by arranging the panels in horizontal array,superposing an arrangement of trusses above the panels, adhering thepanels and trusses together into a unitary roof and ceiling structureand then superposing the unitary .roof and ceiling structure on sidewalls for the building.

7 Claims, 7 Drawing Figures PATENTFmmznm SHEET 2 BF 3 "as v one step inthe method in accordance with BUILDING ROOF STRUCTURE AND METHODConventional procedures for constructing a building include the steps oferecting side walls, constructing a roof structure above the side wallsand thereafter finishing the interior of the building structure byapplying ceiling and wall finishing panels or the like. Suchconventional practice in the erection of roof structures I has beenadhered to even with progress in the prefabrication of building sidewall structures and with the development of prefabricated trusses forroof struc- It is an object of the present invention to facilitate a'reduction in the time and expense required to achieve a finished ceilingin a building structure. In accomplishing this object of'the presentinvention, the conventional practice of erecting a roofing structureover building side walls, enclosing the building and thereafter applyinga ceiling finish is obviated by a novel and advantageous method by whichinterior ceiling finish 'work following erection of a building structureis eliminated. In, particular, trusses are preassembled with ceilingfinish panels prior to superposition of the roof structure on thebuilding side walls.

A further object of the present invention is to assem ble a buildingstructure in which a unitary roof and ceiling structure economicallyprovide enhanced thermal insulation qualities as compared withconventional building structures. In accomplishing this object of thepresent invention, reliance is placed upon a thermally insulatingmaterial for adhering together a plurality of ing and a plurality oftrusses which provide the structural components of the building roofsystem.

Somev of the objects and advantages of the invention having. beenstated, others will appear as the description proceeds, when taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, in which FIG. 1 is anexploded perspective view of a building structure in accordance withthis invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevation view, partially in section, illustrating adheredtogether ceiling panels and trusses at this invention; FIG. 3 is aperspective view somewhat similar to FIG. 1 illustrating thesuperposition of a unitary roof and ceiling structure in accordance withthis invention on building side walls during the assembly of a buildingstructure;

FIG. 4 is a plan view, partially in section, through the structure ofFIG. 2, taken generally along the line 44 in that figure;

FIG. 5 is an elevation view,- partially in section, through a portion ofa building structure assembled in accordance with the present invention;i

FIG. 6 is a reduced elevation view of a side wall panel as used in abuilding structure in accordance with this invention; and

' FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a unitary roof and ceiling structurein accordance with this invention.

' ceiling panels which provide the finished interior ceil-' In thedetailed description which follows, reference will be had to theaccompanying drawings which illustrate a representative embodiment ofthis invention. At

the outset, however, it is to be understood that the drawings and thedetailed description with reference to the drawings are set forth asillustrative of and not as limiting upon this invention, as it iscontemplated that persons skilled in the construction trades will beable to apply the teaching of this invention broadly to assemblies otherthan that specifically described hereinafter.

In the illustrated embodiment of this invention, a re- .sidentialbuilding structure generally indicated at 10 is assembled by positioninga plurality of precast concrete wall panels 11, 12, 14, 15, 16 and 18about the periphery of a cast concrete foundation slab 19. While suchuse of a cast concrete foundation slab 19 and pre-cast wall panels isparticularly advantageous for residential building structures intendedto have a low initial cost, the present invention contemplates that thefoundation and building side wall structures, as well as buildinginterior walls, may be constructed, erected, or assembled in accordancewith any known practice considered desirable by the builder assemblingthe building structure.

In accordance with important features of the present invention, afinished interior ceiling and a roof system for the building structure10 are provided by a unitary roof and ceiling structure generallyindicated at 20. In accordance with the present invention, the unitaryroof and ceiling structure 20 comprises a plurality of trusses 21, whichmay be of a prefabricated timber construction as presently known andused. Adhered to the plurality of trusses 21 are a plurality of ceilingpanels 22 which together define the finished interior ceiling of thebuilding structure 10. The ceiling panels 22 and trusses 21 preferablyare adhered together into the uni-' tary roof and ceiling structure by,a body of foam material 24 which additionally provides thermalinsulation and fire-proofing for the building structure 10. Desirably,the foam material 24-is a urethane foam spray applied as will bedescribed hereinafter.

In assembling a building structure in accordance with the method of thisinvention, a suitable horizontal surface is'provided, preferably as bycasting-a slab 19' to serve as a foundation for an adjacent buildingstructure. Thereafter, a plurality of ceiling panels 22 are arranged onthe horizontal surface in horizontal array, with the interior finishsurface of the panels facing downwardly (FIG. 2). A plurality of trusses21 are then superposed on the plurality of panels and are arranged inupright position thereabove. The plurality of trusses are spaced apartone from another at such distance as may be required by applicablebuilding codes.

Following superposition of the plurality of trusses on It is to be notedthat the spray application of foam material 24 extends across the entireupper surface area of the ceiling panels 22 and extends over the lower,trusses 21 and the plurality of ceiling panels 22, together with anyutility services which may be incorporated in the structure at thattime, a roofing cover may be applied to the unitary roof and ceilingstructure -if desired. Such a roofing cover may adopt conventionalpractices through the use of plywood sheathing 26 and shingles appliedthereto, if desired, as the present invention contemplates that anysatisfactory covering for the roof structure may be employed.

Either before or after a covering for the roofing structure is applied,the structure is raised from the slab 19' on which it was assembled andis superposed on building side walls tocomplete assembly of the buildingstructure. Such raising and'superposition of" the ceiling structure maybe accomplished by a crane or similar equipment, inasmuch as the unitarynature of the roof and ceiling structure 20 will accommodate the loadsand force distributions which occur. Further, while it is contemplatedthat the unitary roof and ceiling structure 20 would be raised from oneslab 19. to be superposed on building side walls 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 18which have been erected. on an adjacent slab l9,-it .is understood thatthe unitary roof and ceiling structure 20 may be held in the raisedposition for such time as may be required to position prefabricatedbuilding side I walls on the slab which earlier supported the unitarystructure 20, if lifting equipment such as a crane may be made availablefor such periods of time. v

- Particularly in application of the method of this invention to theassembly of a low cost residential build ingstructure, it may beadvantageous to provide in the unitary roof and ceiling structure 20 andin the side wall panels, such as the panel 18 (FIG. 6), electricalwiring which will cooperate in facilitating completion of utilityservices to the building structure 10. That is, it is contemplated thatwiring harnesses having necessary conductors and junction boxes may beinstalled in the unitary roof and ceiling structure 20 and in wallpanels such as the panel 18 prior to superposition of the unitarystructure 20 on the building side walls. Where such a practice isfollowed, interconnection of the previously installed wiring isrelatively simple and quick and full utility service to the buildingstructure 10. may be promptly completed.

In the drawings and specification, there has been set forth a preferredembodiment of the invention, and although specific terms are employed,they are usedin a generic and descriptive sense only and notfor purposesof limitation. H

That which is claimed is:

1. A method of assembling a building structure comprising the steps ofarranging a plurality of ceiling panels in horizontal planar array andin such outline and dimensions as to span an interior area of thebuilding structure, arranging a plurality of prefabricated trusses insuperposition on the panels, applying foam material to the 'up ersurface of the panels and adhering the panels an trusses together into aunitary roof and ceiling structure, and then superposing the unitaryroof and ceiling structure on the side walls of a building structure. I

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein the steps of applying foammaterial and adhering the panels and trusses together are preceded by astep of installing utility service in the superposed trusses and panels.

3. A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of superposing theunitary roof and ceiling structure on the side walls comprises liftingthe unitary structure from an assembly location and transporting theunitary structure to a remote building construction location.

4. A sub-assembly for use in a building structure and comprising:

ceiling panel means disposed in a horizontal plane and having a lowersurface fordefining an interior finished ceiling for the buildingstructure, truss means overlying said panel means for supporting saidpanel means and for defining a roof system structure, and foam 'meansadhered to an upper surface of said ceiling panel means and to at leastportions of said truss means, said foam means con stituting the primaryjoining means for adhering said panel means and said truss meanstogether into a unitary roof and ceiling structure and imparting thermalinsulation characteristics to said unitary roof and ceiling structuresaid sub-assernbly being prefabricated and adaptable for movement to andinstallation on the upper terminals of vertically disposed buildingsupports as an integral unitv 5. A building structureaccording to claim4 further comprising utility service means penetrating at least portionsof said truss means for distributing service through said buildingstructure and further wherein said foam means is adhered to said utilityservice means for securing the same in said unitary roof and ceilingstructure.

6. A building structure according to claim 4 wherein said truss meanscomprise a plurality of fabricated trusses each having an elongate lowermember engaging said upper surface of said ceiling panel means andencased by said foam means.

7. A building structure according to claim 4 wherein said ceiling panelmeans-comprises a plurality of ceiling panels arranged in apredetermined horizontal planar array.

1. A method of assembling a building structure comprising the steps ofarranging a plurality of ceiling panels in horizontal planar array andin such outline and dimensions as to span an interior area of thebuilding structure, arranging a plurality of prefabricated trusses insuperposition on the panels, applying foam material to the upper surfaceof the panels and adhering the panels and trusses together into aunitary roof and ceiling structure, and then superposing the unitaryroof and ceiling structure on the side walls of a building structure. 2.A method according to claim 1 wherein the steps of applying foammaterial and adhering the panels and trusses together are preceded by astep of installing utility service in the superposed trusses and panels.3. A method according to claim 1 wherein the step of superposing theunitary roof and ceiling structure on the side walls comprises liftingthe unitary structure from an assembly location and transporting theunitary structure to a remote building constrUction location.
 4. Asub-assembly for use in a building structure and comprising: ceilingpanel means disposed in a horizontal plane and having a lower surfacefor defining an interior finished ceiling for the building structure,truss means overlying said panel means for supporting said panel meansand for defining a roof system structure, and foam means adhered to anupper surface of said ceiling panel means and to at least portions ofsaid truss means, said foam means constituting the primary joining meansfor adhering said panel means and said truss means together into aunitary roof and ceiling structure and imparting thermal insulationcharacteristics to said unitary roof and ceiling structure saidsub-assembly being prefabricated and adaptable for movement to andinstallation on the upper terminals of vertically disposed buildingsupports as an integral unit.
 5. A building structure according to claim4 further comprising utility service means penetrating at least portionsof said truss means for distributing service through said buildingstructure and further wherein said foam means is adhered to said utilityservice means for securing the same in said unitary roof and ceilingstructure.
 6. A building structure according to claim 4 wherein saidtruss means comprise a plurality of fabricated trusses each having anelongate lower member engaging said upper surface of said ceiling panelmeans and encased by said foam means.
 7. A building structure accordingto claim 4 wherein said ceiling panel means comprises a plurality ofceiling panels arranged in a predetermined horizontal planar array.